I bought some Tagine’s from World Market ( Cost Plus) recently to decorate an outdoor table -since I needed something that could take extreme heat, cold, water and sunshine – and Tagines which are middle eastern Dutch ovens do exactly that. So of course I was then on the hunt for recipes to make in them – and this one can be adapted from using a regular western Dutch Oven and works great! Give it a try – the Tagine itself only cost about $25 – and although you have to be careful when washing it in that it is ceramic and can chip easily, its a great kitchen tool.
Tagine Chicken and Dried Fruit
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (we only use organic chicken)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces peeled cubed butternut squash ( we grow our own)
- 1/3 cup halved pitted black or green olives (about 3 ounces) – get the black ones in olive oil not in water – they are too salty
- 8 pitted dried plums, chopped
- Fresh Italian parsley leaves
Directions
- Heat oil in the Tagine over medium heat.
- Add onion; cook until translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in cumin and next 7 ingredients (through chicken); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, squash, olives, and dried plums; bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and place in the oven for 45 minutes until squash is tender.
- When you remove the tagine from the oven be very careful it will retain the heat for some time – you can leave the top on until you are ready to serve and it will stay warm.
- Just before serving chop the parsley and sprinkle it over the mixture.
